As published in BeanScene Magazine

The coffee you make is only as good as your raw materials. Just as a top chef sources the freshest produce and ingredients available to create a fabulous meal, a great barista finds the best quality beans. The same applies at home. 

Each coffee producing country has its own grading system for beans. There is no universal grading system for coffee, so to make sure you’re getting the best of the bunch, you’ll need to source it from a specialty supplier.

As published in BeanScene magazine 

For expert tasters, baristas and cafe owners alike, speaking the language of espresso is an essential skill.

Long gone are the days of ordering or preparing a simple ‘cup of coffee’. As a sophisticated coffee culture has evolved, so has the vocabulary to describe its every nuance. The last decade has even seen the emergence of entirely new words and phrases that help deepen our understanding of espresso.

As published in BeanScene Magazine

Quality raw materials are the natural starting point, so make sure to source your coffee from a specialty supplier who can provide top quality, expertly roasted beans. A medium roast is ideal for espresso. A gourmet coffee supplier should be able to provide advice on blends to suit your taste preferences. 

Getting the grind right is a crucial step in the process and is best achieved using a burr grinder. Coffee is hydroscopic, which means it absorbs water, so adjust according to your environment. The aim is to produce a uniform particle size that results in an extraction time of 25 to 30 seconds and yields 25ml of liquid. A grind that’s too fine means the water can’t get through, but if it’s too coarse, the water will flow through too quickly. Always grind as you go, otherwise freshness will be compromised. 

As published in BeanScene Magazine

If you are a home barista looking to improve the quality of your brew, you will need to look at every stage of the coffee making process. While sourcing specialty beans from a gourmet roaster will ensure the best raw materials are at your fingertips, the perfect cup of coffee is a result of many different variables. 

Freshness is the key and has a huge impact on the end result, so cannot be compromised. The moment coffee beans are ground, their flavour begins to dissipate - a result of the oils inside the bean oxidising as they are exposed to air. This oxidation process is often referred to as “degassing” and results in flavour loss. Stale coffee grounds will produce a stale taste and affect consistency. They also won’t result in the much-adored crema. 

As published in BeanScene Magazine

Picture this: you walk into your local cafe, the barista warmly greets you by name and then promptly confirms your signature ‘macchiato with one sugar’ order. You feel welcome and at home as you retire to a seat and anticipate your sure-to-be-good coffee. Although there’s nothing extraordinary about this scene, unfortunately it’s far from the norm in cafés across the country, where service is all-too-often left on the sidelines. Customer service should be a large component of the coffee experience, yet it’s often overlooked by café owners and baristas alike. The good news is that it doesn’t take much to provide great customer service, provided you have the desire and commitment. 

It’s said that cleanliness is next to godliness and using this mantra in coffee making will ensure maintenance of a high standard. Just as using expertly roasted specialty coffee is important, working with well maintained equipment will mean nothing stands between the beans and a delicious cup of espresso.

As published in BeanScene Magazine

Despite what you may think, anyone can learn to become a better taster and assess coffee like a pro. We all know that taste is subjective. What you may not realise though is that you can train your palate and become a more discerning taster. This ability to pick up subtle differences in taste – and to define them – is a worthwhile endeavour, whether you are a coffee professional or a home barista. If you work in the coffee industry, developing your palate is a necessary skill. It will help you get the best out of your machine, and your coffee. It will also assist you in selecting the right coffee and roasts for your customers.

As published in BeanScene Magazine

Espresso as it’s served today is the product of 100 years of technical development worth familiarising yourself with. The espresso coffee that we know and love today is the result of a series of inventions and technological refinements aimed at perfecting the art of extracting the essence of the coffee bean through espresso brewing. In its most basic form, espresso is simply a drink made by forcing hot water through finely ground coffee beans. But if you’re making or selling coffee – or even serious about making it at home – the espresso machine is a piece of equipment worth getting to know. There are so many variables in producing a good coffee that can only be identified with a deepened understanding of how espresso machines work. 

Coffee tasting and appreciation can turn the simple act of drinking coffee into a richer experience. Drinking coffee and tasting it are two distinct acts, and through the practice of cupping, anyone can enhance their enjoyment of coffee. Whether you’re a coffee professional or a home enthusiast, there is no better way to understand and explore your passion than by developing your ability to examine a coffee’s unique characteristics in-depth.